AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - Independent Dutch investigators cleared Lance Armstrong of doping in the 1999 Tour de France on Wednesday, and blamed anti-doping authorities for misconduct in dealing with the American cyclist.

A 132-page report recommended convening a tribunal to discuss possible legal and ethical violations by the World Anti-Doping Agency and to consider "appropriate sanctions to remedy the violations."

The French sports daily L'Equipe reported in August that six of Armstrong's urine samples from 1999, when he won the first of his record seven-straight Tour titles, came back positive for the endurance-boosting hormone EPO when they were retested in 2004.

Armstrong has repeatedly denied using banned substances.

The International Cycling Union appointed Dutch lawyer Emile Vrijman last October to investigate the handling of urine tests from the 1999 Tour by the French national anti-doping laboratory, known by its French acronym LNDD.

Vrijman said Wednesday his report "exonerates Lance Armstrong completely with respect to alleged use of doping in the 1999 Tour de France."

The report also said the UCI had not damaged Armstrong by releasing doping control forms to the French newspaper.

The report said WADA and the LNDD may have "behaved in ways that are completely inconsistent with the rules and regulations of international anti-doping control testing," and may also have been against the law.

Vrijman, who headed the Dutch anti-doping agency for 10 years and later defended athletes accused of doping, worked on the report with Adriaan van der Veen, a scientist with the Dutch Metrology Laboratory.

EPO, or erythropoietin, is a synthetic hormone that boosts the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.

This timing of this confession is somewhat confusing at first glance, but if you think about it, Lance has few options at this point.

It's been previously reported that USADA said that had Armstrong met with USADA following the charges being laid in June last year, then the Texan would have retained five of his seven Tour de France titles.
Instead he decided to not meet with USDA, nor cooperate or testify, ultimately losing all 7 Tour Titles, all because he needed to maintain his mantra of the "I never doped".

To do it now, confess, leads me to believe he has no other options at his disposal. All his sponsors have jumped ship; lawsuits are pending, big insurance wants their money back. He has Conspiracy, RICO, perjury, fraud, witness intimidation, suborning perjury all laid at his feet right now. His Cancer Foundation Livestrong is in a downhill spiral. Call it what you want, but the Armstrong label is beyond tainted right now.
This is the start of his "Redemption Tour". He will get all teary with Oprah, mention his upbringing with just his single Mom, talk about his youth and pressure to dope. Ultimately he will bring the big wigs of USA Cycling and UCI cycling down by stating and testifying against several powerful people in the sport of cycling, that they knew about his doping and possibly facilitated it.
And of course none of it will be Lance's fault.

I really wish that one of these days a doper/juicer would just come out and say "Yeah, I did it and it was awesome. The stuff helped me in so many ways. I tried not to get caught, but I did and that sucks. Oh well, it was worth it though."

This timing of this confession is somewhat confusing at first glance, but if you think about it, Lance has few options at this point.

It's been previously reported that USADA said that had Armstrong met with USADA following the charges being laid in June last year, then the Texan would have retained five of his seven Tour de France titles.
Instead he decided to not meet with USDA, nor cooperate or testify, ultimately losing all 7 Tour Titles, all because he needed to maintain his mantra of the "I never doped".

To do it now, confess, leads me to believe he has no other options at his disposal. All his sponsors have jumped ship; lawsuits are pending, big insurance wants their money back. He has Conspiracy, RICO, perjury, fraud, witness intimidation, suborning perjury all laid at his feet right now. His Cancer Foundation Livestrong is in a downhill spiral. Call it what you want, but the Armstrong label is beyond tainted right now.
This is the start of his "Redemption Tour". He will get all teary with Oprah, mention his upbringing with just his single Mom, talk about his youth and pressure to dope. Ultimately he will bring the big wigs of USA Cycling and UCI cycling down by stating and testifying against several powerful people in the sport of cycling, that they knew about his doping and possibly facilitated it.
And of course none of it will be Lance's fault.

Yep. nail on head. People never confess until they absolutely have to.

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Originally Posted by Cassel's Reckoning:

Matt once made a very nice play in Seattle where he spun away from a pass rusher and hit Bowe off his back foot for a first down.